We cycle in this variation once in a while after the lifter / athlete demonstrates proficiency with horizontal and vertical pressing AND horizontal and vertical pulling (*Remember, we must create a balance in the volume of movements).
As the lifter goes through the range of motion of the press there is a torque across their torso that is very significant and this must be stabilized. Once stabilized and braced and with the shoulder retracted and packed back, the lifter will begin their set.
MOST IMPORTANT LESSON #37
In the video you’ll hear me instruct John (the second athlete in the video) to switch hands on the press. During his set I am always observing, instructing and providing lifting cues for form. I saw his rep was slow and he was losing stability. Once I see this, I must immediately jump in and instruct him to switch hands or end the set if he has already lifted with both arms.
This is the key.
NO GRINDING REPS. There is no need. In a fatigued set where the reps are grinded out, that is when injuries occur. Also, if every set is taken to this “failure”, overtraining is much more likely. We want to see quality reps and complete focus by the athlete. They must be “in” the set the entire time. As my good friend Rob Pilger says, “Fatigue makes cowards of men” and fatigue also puts the athlete into a compromising position. Do you let them grind the rep out in a bad movement pattern, or do you cut the set and get another rep on the next workout?
My 20 years in the trenches advice? Cut the set.
Step 1:
Coaching Cues:
Stabilize and Brace Core
Retract Shoulder
Drive Feet Down
Step 2:
Coaching Cues:
Stabilize and Brace Core
Retract Shoulder
Drive Feet Down
Drive Dumbbell to Lockout and Reset Your Air
Slowly Return to the Starting Point*
* Key Note: A neutral grip is preferred for athletes as this is the most advantageous and safest position.
One Arm Dumbbell Press on Swiss Ball
Cool Testimonial for AMPED
You have to see this testimonial for AMPED Warm-up. It is from Nicolas Amp (yeah I love his last name!) and it is awesome. Not only does he provide great feedback, he also sent me a picture of him watching AMPED in his car during a traffic jam! Check it out!
“As a strength coach, it is my responsibility to make sure my athletes get the best from their workout and do not get injured. Every training programs, no matter how good they are, can not be performed well without a proper and well-designed warm up protocol. This is where AMPED comes in action! Everything you need to know about warming up is explained. Self-myofascial release methods, mobility training and activation… everythig is in here. I’ve been particulary interested in mobility training and what I’ve found in AMPED totally answered my questions. Thanks to AMPED, I’m confident I’m going to bring my athletes to the next level. If you are a serious strength coach, you have to get AMPED!” — Nicolas AMP
I meet people all the time who want to get started training and building muscle, but they think that it takes too much time.
The fact is, you can get a lot of good quality results from brief workouts, if you keep the rest intervals low and hit the weights hard when you are working out.
Short and intense workouts have been my focus for quite some time now because it seems like there is more and more going on all the time. If it’s not one thing it’s another: People showing up to visit the baby, laptops crapping out, power outages, phone line is dead, septic system is all screwed up, and the list goes on and on.
Unfortunately a lot of people will see these things taking place and then just forget the workout and do something else. This is the worst mistake you can make.
Even if you are cramped for time, you can get a really good workout it. The key is that you have to plan. If you are just walking into the gym with no idea what the hell you are going to do, you are shooting yourself in the foot.
What’s crazy is, back when I had more free time, that is pretty much what I did, but now that time constraints are different, I can’t afford to do it anymore.
There are many things I do to plan my workout so even if I am limited on time I still get good quality work in. Now, keep in mind after all of this full body work, I also have a full Grip routine that I do in order to stay in top form for the next upcoming contest. Because I have to maintain that, I have to be even more concise with my full body workout on a day-to-day basis.
How to Plan Your Workout
1. Warm-up
No matter how cramped for time you are, you have to get a good warm-up. This is something I got away from for a while and injuries were hanging around too much for my liking. I feel better and can work out harder with a solid warm-up.
I roll out and do some mobility stuff prior to each workout, while also working with some light bands and low intensity TacFit stuff prior to every workout. I am usually sweating pretty good before I get into my session. I do not do stuff like jogging or bike prior to a workout. That stuff does nothing for me.
2. Write Your Workout Plan Down
Some people like to plan out a program for weeks, if not months ahead of time. This is a great way to stay on track and be able plan your training and monitor your progress. I don’t do this however…
Instead, I take a small pad of paper or fold up a piece of paper and stick it in your pocket and take it with me wherever I go. Either by my work station or in my car. If I have an idea of something new I want to try or maybe something new I see in an article or something like that, I make sure to jot it down, because I know there is no way in hell I am going to remember that lift by the time it is time to train. I am always writing stuff down.
3. Have a Goal
I don’t know about you, but I like to set a PR every time I lift, and I prefer those PR’s to be big singles. In the video clip I have for you, my focus for this particular routine was a PR in the Double Overhand Deadlift.
As I move through the session, all my warm-up sets are done with that end goal in mind. This keeps me motivated and keeps me pounding away for the next set.
On this day, I did not set a new PR, but each repetition I did felt great. For whatever reason my Grip wasn’t there at the beginning of the workout, but my hands felt great. My technique might have been off, might have been a bit dehydrated, who knows what the issue was, but I know what I want to do next time it’s time to pull.
4. Short Rest Periods
If you’re cramped for time the absolute worst thing you can do is monkey around between sets. You have to keep moving. I like to keep my rest periods limited to a minute at the most. Usually it is just getting a sip of water, re-chalking, and then I am back on the platform or in the cage to lift. Whatever you do, don’t mess around with endless rest periods. It robs you of productivity.
5. Keep the Lifting Area Clear
It may not always look it from my videos, but I try to keep the walk-way between stations and from the lifting area to the bathroom open so I am not tripping on stuff. Believe it or not, I am actually pretty short-tempered, and if I step on something sharp or stub my toe (I lift in just socks a lot of the time), it pisses me off and I get distracted and lose my momentum.
To continue to increase my productivity in my workouts, I just re-arranged my gym tonight so that there is more room and I can keep things more organized. I can’t wait to train tomorrow night in the “new environment” because I think things are going to be really smooth.
6. Super Sets / Giant Sets
Setting up two or even three movements in a row enables you to get more work done in a short amount of time. In the video below, for instance, you’ll see me hit some Shrugs followed immediately by High Pulls. My traps felt like they were going to pop and bleed out after that combination, so I definitely want to do that again.
7. Movement Testing
For the multi-joint movements, I still test my Range of Motion with the Biofeedback protocol. This takes less than two minutes to test a half dozen or so movements that I want to choose from. Some might say this doesn’t “save” time. I guess not, but what it does do is it helps me figure out what is working well for me on that given day, and since starting to do it I have not had my back seize up on me. Just something to think about for those who have nagging injuries.
To wrap things up, here is a video of a recent Back workout I did. These were the lifts, all of which I planned ahead of time with a Deadlift and Trap Focus:
1. Double Overhand Deadlift for Max
2. Double Overhand Deadlift for Triples (conventional and sumo)
3. Heavy Shrugs
4A. Lighter Shrugs
4B. Axle High Pulls
5. Mace Swings – 2 sets of 30
This workout took me about 45-minutes, after the warm-up. I think if I had not been going for a Double Overhand PR, I would have been even quicker, but I stretched out the rest periods a bit to chalk up really good.
If you are cramped for time, don’t think you need to skimp on your workout. If you plan right, you can get a lot of work done in a short time. Go into it with the right mindset and you should be able to get some serious work done.
A lot of you guys are probably already doing this kind of stuff to stay organized and productive in your workouts, but I know some people get side tracked. Hopefully this post has been helpful if the latter describes you.
Thanks and all the best in your training.
-Jedd-
P.S. Check out Smitty’s AMD program for more info on shorter workouts, especially if you find yourself cramped for time due to your day-to-day grind = > Accelerated Muscular Development.
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This post will show you how to incorporate a new style of training that can be used as a finisher for your chest, back, arm day, or wherever else you’d like to place it in your training.
I’ve recently re-introduced myself to a pretty cool new training method that I call Upper Body Crushing.
CHECK OUT THE REST OF THIS KILLER POST AFTER THE JUMP (more…)
Unique Training Equipment That is Cheap and Effective
Sometimes the motivation is there but the money isn’t. Trainers and coaches don’t always have a big budget to go along with their big dreams. Dreams of owning the best equipment or the best facility.
Well, I’m here to tell you that you don’t always need to have the best of everything to get RESULTS. As with every exercise having an alternative, so too is there an alternative to the fanciest equipment.
We here at Diesel have known this for years. We’ve built athletes over the years with little to no fancy stuff.
Tonight at the end of the workout, we hit another high intensity training session. I wanted to share it with you because it is easy to setup and has amazing benefits. If you are looking to kick up the intensity of your workouts, improve your conditioning and jack your metabolism for up to 38 hours after the workout, this is the ticket.
Unfortunately, after this session, it felt like I got hit with a freight train.
CHECK OUT THE REST OF THIS KILLER POST AFTER THE JUMP (more…)
